Wet Ham United manager Sam Allardyce set to loan Ravel Morrison out to
Championship club Queens Park Rangers

West Ham United are close to agreeing a deal for England under-21 international Ravel Morrison to leave the club for the remainder of the season after he grew frustrated at his lack of first-team opportunities.

Sam Allardyce, the West Ham manager, is keen for Morrison to get some first-team matches but, given his club's current plight, does not want to play the 21-year-old.

West Ham will have the option to recall the attacking midfielder after 30 days at QPR with sources suggesting that a deal is "75 per cent agreed".

West Ham vetoed the attempts of fellow relegation strugglers Fulham to sign Morrison on a permanent £6 million deal during the January transfer window. They also reported Fulham to the Premier League claiming the club had 'tapped up' their player.

Morrison has a complicated deal at West Ham and has resisted efforts for him to sign a new contract leading to the expectation that he will quit the club with less than 18 months left on his current contract.

Related Articles

West Ham, it is understood, would accept a straight cash bid of £10 million for Morrison but resisted any offers from clubs in the bottom half of the Premier League.

The club has grown frustrated with Morrison despite the former Manchester United player having impressed on occasions this season – not least in West Ham's notable 3-0 victory away to Tottenham Hotspur. Morrison, much to Allardyce's frustration, has been struggling with injury and it is understood he was keen to quit West Ham last month.

Allardyce said: "Ravel is still complaining about the problem that's he had from before Christmas, that he's got a rumbling groin problem. He's going to have to decide whether to go for the hernia operation or not."

Allardyce continued: "The answer keeps being no, he doesn't need it, so what we have to do is get him back training and get him back in the squad.

"I haven't heard any rumours any other way regarding Ravel, but he certainly needs to get back training with the squad, and what he's got to realise is that now everybody's fit there's severe competition here, especially with the new players as well.

"That severe competition brings pressure on the players that are playing in the first team, knowing that if they perform poorly they could lose their place and that's certainly the case with the size of the squad at the moment, which is good and healthy."

QPR manager Harry Redknapp said on Monday night that no deal has been struck with West Ham to take Morrison on loan but that he would be interested in the former Manchester United midfielder if the Premier League side are willing to let him move. Morrison has not featured in West Ham's line-up recently amid reports that he is refusing to play because of a persistent groin injury.

Reports suggested that QPR had already agreed to take Morrison on a three-month loan deal, which Allardyce claimed he had no knowledge of.

But Redknapp admitted he had made enquiries and was keen to speak to Allardyce.

"I had a few phone calls today asking me if I was going to loan him," Redknapp said. "I tried to get Sam but couldn't get through. It is up to them if they want to loan him but if they do he would be of interest for sure."

Redknapp said he was concerned that QPR's promotion bid would be undermined by lack of firepower after injuries ruled out Charlie Austin and Matt Phillips for the remainder of the season.

"I don't know if we have got enough firepower and who's going to loan you a centre forward at this stage of the season?" he said.

"Charlie was our goalscorer and it is a big loss to lose him for the season. Matt is out for the season as well.

"We have brought a couple of lads in who have not scored goals for a year or so really, in Kevin Doyle and Modibo Maiga. But it was difficult on transfer deadline day."